THE STATE EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT /
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

James A. Kadamus, Deputy
Commissioner

Office for Elementary,
Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education

Room 875 EBA
(518) 474-5915

November
23, 2005

TO:District Superintendents of Schools

Superintendents of Public
and Nonpublic Schools

Administrators of Charter Schools

FROM:James A. Kadamus

SUBJECT:Credit for Approved
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs

The career and technical education program approval process
has been successful in establishing high-quality programs across New York
State.I want to thank all of the BOCES
and school districts that have gone through the process for their diligence and
thoroughness in assessing their CTE programs.I encourage school districts that have not yet participated to consider
the benefits of this process to their students and their programs.I especially encourage schools with a
Business Education, Family and Consumer Science and/or Technology Education sequences
to investigate this opportunity.

One of the key components of this process is that all
students in a program are treated equitably and fairly. Under Section 100.2(w)
of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, all students who
participate in an approved CTE program at a BOCES must receive an equal number
of credits for the completion of these courses.This credit determination was put forth in my February 2001 field
memorandum announcing the Regents policy on Career and Technical Education and
further defined in the School Executive’s Bulletin in April 2002.

The
BOCES consults with component school districts during the program approval
process and prior to establishing the units of study.Approval by the State Education Department of the career and
technical education program affirms that this allocation of credit is
appropriate.Boards of Education must
award credit in the amount determined by the BOCES in consultation with their
component districts and approved by the Department.While the distribution of these credits is under the purview of
the component district, districts are strongly encouraged to take advantage of
the integrated or specialized offerings at the BOCES as they provide additional
flexibility in a student’s schedule for elective courses or remediation.